What used to be an "extraordinarily rare occurrence" has already happened twice this month -- the death of a child in the custody of US border officials. Now the head of Customs and Border Protection is reiterating calls for Congress to provide more funding to handle the influx of migrants crossing the border.
"I've explained to Congress ... that what we're seeing with these flows, of huge numbers of families with lots of children, young children, as well as unaccompanied minors coming into Border Patrol custody after crossing the border unlawfully, that our stations are not built for that group that's crossing today," CBP Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan told "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday.
"They were built 30 to 40 years ago for single adult males, and we need a different approach. We need help from Congress. We need to budget for medical care and mental health care for children in our facilities."
In the past three weeks, two Guatemalan children have died after they were detained with their fathers after crossing the border.
On December 8, Jakelin Caal Maquin, 7, died in a hospital two days after she was taken to a Border Patrol station.
And on Christmas Eve, an 8-year-old boy died after he was taken to a hospital, released, then returned to the hospital. CBP has not named the boy, but US Rep. Joaquin Castro identified him as Felipe Alonzo-Gomez.
The CBP chief called the young boy's death "a tragic loss."
"On behalf of US Customs and Border Protection, our deepest sympathies go out to the family," McAleenan said Tuesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Wednesday called the death of a child in government custody "deeply concerning and heartbreaking," and reiterated her call for "parents to not place their children at risk by taking a dangerous journey north."
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